Highway markers



Oct. 15, 1963 1 NAGlN ETAL 3,106,878

HIGHWAY MARKERS.

Filed Oct. 22, 1959 INV TORS Harry S. N

Fig.5. W313;

BY I I a r m ATTORNEYS tions.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,105,878 Patented Oct. 15, 1963 3,166,878 HIGHWAY MARKERS Leon Nagin, Churchiii Borough, Harry S. Nagin, Merion, and Max Pincus, Pittsburgh, Pa, assignors to Reliance Staci Products Company, McKeesport, REL, a corporation of Pennsyivania Filed Get. 22, 1959, Ser. No. 847,975 2 Claims. ((81. 94-15) This invention relates to marker strips expecially designed for use on highways, and is for a marker which is anchored into the highway as distinguished from the usual painted lines, and for a method of forming the improved marker. Under the term marker is included dividers, markers for crosswalks and similar marks or warnings intended to delineate trafiic lanes, pedestrian area-s, warnings and the like.

Highway markers which are in the nature of painted lines must be frequently repainted and are easily ob secured or worn away. Strips of plastic material adhered to the road surface are sometimes used as a substitute, but grit and dirt abrade the surface and become embedded in the plastic, so that its visibility deteriorates and disintegration of the plastic strip is accelerated.

The present invention has for its principal object to provide a marker of a substantially permanent nature or which will endure for long periods of time. A further important object of our invention is to provide a marker in which a color stripe is protected from contact with vehicle wheels or pedestrian trailic or from being scufied or worn. While many traific markers are slippery, especially when wet and are sometimes the cause of pedestrians falling by their shoes slipping on the strip, the present marker is non-skid, and in addition to being of a non-skid surface, the marker, by the nature of its surface also serves as a warning to motorists when a wheel passes over or along it. In addition it is easily seen, readily cleaned, and while initially more expensive than a painted line, it is more economical over a period of time.

These and other objects and advantages are secured by our invention which may be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of our improved marker applied to a road area;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section through the marker;

PEG. 3 is a fragmentary transverse section showing a modified stripe;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section showing another modification; and

FIG. 5 is an inverted transverse section through another form of stripe prepared for application to a highway.

According to the present invention the marking strip comprises a strip of expanded metal, similar to metal lath,

ermanently anchored to the highway or paved surface in such manner that it cannot become loosened over long periods of use or under varying weather condi- The metal itself is preferably coated with paint, and there is also preferably located under the expanded strip a colored area which is visible through the expanded metal. This may be a painted stripe, but preferably is a very thin gauge coated aluminum strip. Alternatively, the mesh of the expanded metal may be filled with a pigmented hard filling material.

Referring in more detail to the drawings, markings are first applied to the highway surface to delineate the location of the stripe along or across the highway. It may be a conventional narrow stripe, or wide enough to constitute a walkway or traffic separator. As shown in FIG. 1, parallel narrow kerfs are then cut or otherwise formed in the road surface in the direction of the length of the stripes. For cutting the kerfs, cutting machines presently employed in highway maintenance for cutting out areas of roadway to be replaced may be utilized. In new highway construction the kerfs may be molded into the surface. In FIG. 1, 2 designates a highway of concrete or asphalt, and 3 are the parallel kerfs.

The kerfs are then filled with an air-hardening cementitious material which will firmly adhere, upon setting wiLh the concrete or asphalt forming the bottom and sides of the kerf, and which will resist exposure to weather over long periods of time. We preferably use a mixture of epoxy resin with or without an extender, such as pine oil or road oil, and with or without a finely-divided filler such as sand, and a curing agent. One suitable material is that disclosed in a copending application of Robert N. Williams, Serial No. 801,431, filed March 24, 1959, wherein there is disclosed a patching material for concrete highways comprising a mixture of epoxy resin, with or without pine oil, polyamid resin, rubber reclaiming oil and diethylene tn'amine into which dry sand is introduced. The epoxy or ethoxylene resin is a wellknown commercial product, and the grade used is one which is liquid at room temperature, and preferably one having a light syrupy consistency. Such resin is usually produced commercially by the reaction of epichlorohydrin and bisphenol A. The curing agent is generally a polyfunctional amine, such as diethylene triamine which is commonly used, and which is representative of several compounds available for this purpose. The curing agent is normally about 8 to 10% by weight of the epoxy resin. Sufficient filler may be used to make a mix that can be [filled into the kerfs easily without being too stilt, something in the nature of a pourable slurry being well suited to this purpose. Pine oil or road oil may be used as an extender up to about 50% of the weight of the resin, and pigments may be used along with or as a substitute for fillers.

After the kerfs have been cut or otherwise formed and filled with the adhesive or cementitious mix, the area between the two kerfs is painted, or preferably, a strip of thin gauge pre-coated or colored anodized aluminum is laid lengthwise between the kerfs so as to cover the en tire area between the kerfs. Instead of thin metal sheet, the strip may be formed of colored plastic material, such as plasticized vinyl plastic which is weather-resistant, fluorescent paint or tape, or event aluminum foil. In the drawings, and particularly 'FIG. 2, this colored strip is indicated as 4.

Strips of expanded metal, such as that used for metal lath in building constructions, will have been previously prepared of a width necessary to provide a line of the required width and will be enough wider so that the edges may be turned down to extend into the kerfs, preferably to the bottoms of the kerfs. The expanded metal strip is designated 5, and the downturned edges are designated '6. Preferably the expanded metal will have been dipped in paint or enamel prior to its being used, and its color may correspond to the color of the strip 4 which is put under it. The strips will be prepared in sections of a length enabling them to be easily transported and handled, and they can be flexed around curves or shorter lengths and can be out for use on curves. In some cases, however, the strip 4 may be of contrasting color, or of the same color but formed with a luminous reflective coating.

After the kerfs have ben filled with the adhesive or cementitious compound and the colored strip 4 applied, the expanded metal strip with the downturned edges is placed over the colored strip 4 and its downturned edges 6 pressed into the kerfs while the adhesive is still in a plastic or uncured condition. The downturned cementitious material will flow through the flanges of metal and when the resin cures it will be a permanent part of the highway and it will be impossible to remove the expanded metal by passage of traflic thereover. An epoxy resin is especially useful for this purpose since it cures quickly at normal outside temperatures, its adhesion to the concrete will be greater than the cohesive strength of the concrete or asphalt itself, while the resin will not deteriorate over long periods of time by exposure to light and weather, nor by the vibration or impact of traffic.

As shown in the drawings, expanded metal which we generally prefer to use is not a perfectly flat sheet of material, and in the process of expansion the metal is distorted into a non-planar condition. Strands of metal designated 7 merge together at points of juncture 8, and these portions 8 slope across the plane of the sheet of expanded metal while the strands of metal slope from the top of one point of juncture to the bottom of the next point of juncture. Because of this non-planar condition of the expanded metal, vehicle tratfic that passes over it cannot wear away the paint on the metal itself which is below the plane of the top of the metal, nor can the vehicle wheels contact the strip 4 which is beneath the expanded metal. Moreover, because of the manner in which such expanded metal is formed, it has directional light reflectivity. This may be clearly seen in FIG. 2 where light striking the metal from the left will be reflected at an angle to horizontal which is favorable to making the metal plainly visible to one viewing the strip from the left. However, when viewing the expanded metal from the right a reverse condition prevails, and one viewing the strip from the right, therefore, sees it quite differently and less plainly than one appreaching from the left. When viewed at right angles to the plane of FIG. 2 the reflectivity will be equal in opposite directions. This directional reflectivity can be used to advantage in many instances on highways and crosswalks. For example, where the marking strip is put down along the center of a highway to indicate a trafiic guiding line, alternate sections can be reversed to produce an effect much like that which is secured by painting longitudinally-spaced strips down the center of the highway to indicate that the cars may pass one another. On curves where it is customary now to use two lines, the stripe of the present invention may also be put down in two lines, but one will show most plainly to the car 'on the outside of the curve, and the other to the car on the inside of the curve. Where the expanded metal is used on crosswalks the metal would be turned at a plane 90 to that shown in FIG. 2 so that the inclined faces would be viewed from the side of the strip instead of lengthwise of the strip. To a car approaching a crossing, the line would show up very conspicuously, but receding from the crossing the light would be relatively inconspicuous. An important advantage, therefore, is the greater visibility of the line to approaching trafiic than a flat planar marking. However, expanded metal lath which has been rolled to flatten it, or metal which is expanded and remains flat may be employed where such directional quality above described is not wanted.

Since the wheels are kept out of contact with the colored strip 4, this strip is never worn away nor is dirt pressed or ground into it with the same destructive effect as with present stripes. While the lines will be somewhat obscured over the passage of time by the accumulation of dirt or dirt and grease, they can be readily and inexpensively cleaned by brushing them with detergent and hosing them with a high-pressure stream of water.

As a modification, the procedure shown in FIG. 3 may be followed, in which the expanded metal is shaped in the same way and kerfs are cut into the road surface, but instead of using a colored strip 4 under the expanded metal as described above, a pigmented cementitious material 9 may be troweled into the interstices of the expanded metal forming a line in which the expanded metal will be either partially or completely concealed. The filling material used should be a material which adheres to the road surface when it cures or hardens, and for this reason we prefer to use epoxy resin with a filler as described above, or similar to the patching material disclosed in the Williams application above mentioned.

The expanded metal may also be bent to U-shaped form as shown in FIG. 4, where it is designated 10, and the side flanges are designated 11. A liner of retaining material 12 may be placed in the expanded metal while it is in inverted position, or the inverted strip of metal may be put into a mold and the trough of the expanded metal filled with concrete or with a cementitious mix 13 prepared from epoxy resin as above described. The strip so prepared at a point of manufacture is then shipped to the field and used in the manner described in connection with FIG. 1, but forms a stripe which is raised any desired distance above the level of the road surface. It could, for example, be two or three feet wide, and the depth of the precast material in the trough could be one, or two, or three inches, as desired. The form prepared as shown in FIG. 4 would of course be inverted when it is applied to the highway, and the edges which extend beyond the filling would enter the kerfs and be secured in the manner above described.

In the modification shown in FIG. 5 the strips of expanded metal designated 14 have the ends 15, instead of the sides, turned downwardly, and the adjoining ends of two strips may be cemented by adhesive material 16 into transverse kerfs 17. A colored strip may be located under the expanded metal as above described, or the expanded metal may be filled with filling material as described in connection with FIG. 3. With this method, if a colored strip of metal or plastic be used under the expanded metal, such strip should be adhered to the road surface by epoxy resin to avoid subsequent lateral dis placement.

Tratfic lines as thus formed should last for a period of time reasonably coextensive with the normal life of the highway. If necessary, paint can be sprayed or otherwise applied to them from time to time, should this be necessary to protect the expanded metal or increase visibility after a long period of use. Since the expanded metal is firmly anchored to the road surface, once the resinous compound has cured, there is no possibility of the strip loosening through the passage of traffic over it, nor can it be easily damaged by vandals or the movement of excessively heavy tralfic across it. Moreover, it cannot creep and become wavy as do plastic strips adhesively secured to the surface of a pavement. Since the expanded metal keeps the wheels of traffic above the colored line beneath it, the colored stripe does not become worn or scufled, making it possible to use reflective or fluorescent material which otherwise would quickly lose their high color and reflectivity.

If it is desired to have the surface of the strip flush with the pavement, the surface area between the kerfs may be cut away. In putting down new highways the expanded metal may be set in the wet concrete, perhaps with the aid of a vibrator to sink the flanges int the concrete and induce the flow of the cement through the mesh of the expanded metal, although in most cases it appears desirable to form kerfs after the concrete has set, as first described.

While we have shown and described certain specific embodiments of our invention, it will be understood that this is by way of illustration and that various changes and modifications may be made within the contemplation of our invention and under the scope of the following claims. Although designated a highway marker, the stripe can of course be used on other paved surfaces, such as parking areas, airports, and elsewhere where similar lines on paved surfaces are required, or even in concrete piers or abutments where a stripe is subject to wear or abrasion, or Where a more permanent type of Warning stripe than ordinary paint is desired.

We claim:

1. In a highway, a traffic marker comprising a stripe of contrasting appearance and of uniform width extending over and applied to a portion of the highway surface, a fiat strip of expanded sheet metal extending along and placed astraddle the stripe, the strip having a reticulated central area of a Width corresponding substantially to the Width of the stripe through which the stripe is visible but by which it is protected from tral'fic, the expanded sheet metal strip having a downwardlydurned reticulated flange extending along each edge thereof, the highway having a kenf formed therein along each side of the stripe, the flanges of the strip extending into the kerfs at each side of the stripe and a cernentitious material in the kerfs interlocked with the flanges and bonding the flanges of expanded metal into the iterfs, the material being bonded to the sides and bottom of the kerrs.

2. In a highway, the invention define-d in claim 1 6 wherein the stripe is an applied band of material continuously adhered to the highway surface and substantially flush therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,886,324 White Nov. 1, 1932 1,966,318 Stephens July 10, 1934 2,118,331 Tarot May 24, 1938 2,153,392 Robertson Apr. 4, 1939 2,227,874 Bartch Jan. 7, 1941 2,313,829 LeTourneau Mar. 16, 1943 2,579,467 Bricleman Dec. 25, 1951 2,898,825 Walker Aug. 11, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 261,884 Great Britain Dec. 2, 1926 OTHER REFERENCES Life Magazine, July 7, 1958, pp. 78, 79. 

1. IN A HIGHWAY, A TRAFFIC MARKER COMPRISING A STRIPE OF CONTRASTING APPEARANCE AND OF UNIFORM WIDTH EXTENDING OVER AND APPLIED TO A PORTION OF THE HIGHWAY SURFACE, A FLAT STRIP OF EXPANDED SHEET METAL EXTENDING ALONG AND PLACED ASTRADDLE THE STRIPE, THE STRIP HAVING A RETICULATED CENTRAL AREA OF A WIDTH CORRESPONDING SUBSTATIALLY TO THE WIDTH OF THE STRIPE THROUGH WHICH THE STRIPE IS VISIBLE BUT BY WHICH IT IS PROTECTED FROM TRAFFIC, THE EXPANDED 